


The Jerk in 2-C

by needleyecandy



Category: Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Co-workers, M/M, Silly, Unreliable Narrator, hate then love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-11
Updated: 2015-01-25
Packaged: 2018-03-07 03:19:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3159311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/needleyecandy/pseuds/needleyecandy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Loki hates his new neighbor, and with good reason. The man is arrogant, vain, and keeps trying to break into Loki's apartment when he's drunk.</p><p>It only gets worse from there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sheilatakesabow](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=sheilatakesabow).



> Written for the kind and lovely tumblrer sheilatakesabow, who wanted the 'flat' story from [this prompt list](http://leafyknockouts.tumblr.com/post/91739429515/more-annoying-asshole-aus-please-like-o-kept).
> 
> This story is extremely silly.

 

Loki was half asleep when he heard his door. If it were a knock, he would have ignored it. But it wasn't. Instead, it was the shift of wood on wood and the clinky rattle of the doorknob that his landlord hadn't repaired, despite three phone calls. He got quietly out of bed, plucking the decorative sword off the wall by the kitchen. He was almost to the door when he heard the sound of metal scraping at the lock. He quickly slipped his winter boots onto his stocking feet to jam against the base of the door and peeped out the eyehole, his body humming with tension.

And fuck. Fuck if it wasn't his new neighbor, trying to fit his key into Loki's lock and frowning when it wouldn't go. His face was flushed and his hair looked slightly sweaty despite the cold.

Loki sighed and unlocked the door, barely stepping back in time to avoid getting hit.

The idiot just stood there, blinking at him. "What are you doing in my apartment?" he asked. His voice was more than a little slurred as he spoke.  
  
"You're the next one over. 2- _C_ ," Loki answered.

"Oh. Thanks," he said. "Nice outfit," he smirked as he turned away.

Loki glared after him. There was nothing wrong with being swaddled in two layers of sweats. He got cold at night.

He took more than a little pleasure in the fact that the man had headed towards 2-A. He stood at his door, listening as the same conversation happened again just down the hall, before going back to bed.

*****

The next week passed without any more neighborly encounters, which was more than fine with Loki.

And then, around three am on Saturday, it happened again.

He was sound asleep this time, and his landlord _still_ hadn't fixed the stupid knob, and now Loki had to go deal with this _other_ stupid knob.

Loki looked at him through the peephole. This time, he was sure the man was drunk. He seemed to be mumbling to himself, and he definitely had more of his weight on the door than on his feet. So Loki simply threw the lock and waited for him to try the knob again.

It took a few seconds - longer than he'd expected, from the incessant rattling that had woken him - but the man was suddenly sprawled on the floor at his feet. Loki stood above him, laughing.

"This is still 2-B," he said.

"You still look like your mom dressed you for a snowstorm," the asshole mumbled, rolling to his hands and knees. "Can you give me a hand here?"

"It's probably better for everyone if you just crawl out," Loki said. "I do hope you didn't drive home like this."

"Of course not! Bachelor's party and wedding, I knew to take cabs," he grumbled, standing.

"So it's only your neighbors who are at risk from your toxic stupidity. I suppose that's something," Loki said.

"You know, 2-A is way nicer than you," said the jerk on his way out, slamming the door closed behind him.

Loki glared at the heavy wood. Just because his mother had sent him these clothes for Christmas, and may have mentioned something about the weather in her card, did not mean he looked like she'd dressed him.

Anyway, it's not like he ever wore this stuff outside his apartment.

*****

"Loki, can you swing by my office this afternoon sometime?" Frigga asked as she passed his desk.

"Sure," he said, smiling. "On your way to lunch?" At her nod, he continued. "I'll come by at one, then."

"Great, thanks," she said.

Loki was very well aware how lucky he was to have a boss he liked. Loki's line of work seemed to be riddled with bad ones; he was sure other fields couldn't possibly be so bad as his own. But Frigga really was excellent at her job, keeping her department running smoothly and efficiently while treating her employees with consideration and respect.

"Hi," he said an hour later, sticking his head in the door. "Is now good?"

"It is, come in," she answered. Loki settled into the guest chair as she opened a folder. "So. Mr. Borson has decided that he is interested in founding a local history museum, dealing heavily with how the town and Nine Realms Enterprises grew and changed together. He has asked for recommendations for people to run it, one person from here, and one from accounting to handle the finances. You studied history in college, didn't you?"

"I did," Loki said, trying not to get his hopes up.

"Well... would you be interested?" she asked with a smile.

"I'd love to," he admitted, "but I don't really know anything about museum studies."

"You'll have staff, of course," she said with a casual wave of her hand. "So is that a yes? There's an institute dedicated to training people for non-profit work, and they've got a two-week intensive coming up. It's only a week away, is that enough warning?"

He grinned. "I'll make sure it is."

She closed her folder. "I'm so glad. I'll miss having you around here, but I know you'll be great."

"Thank you, really," he said. "Do you know who is going to be the person from accounting?"

She opened the folder again. "Thor Aesir, it says. I don't know the name. Must be new."

He shook her hand in thanks and went back to his desk.

*****

A week later Loki was waiting at the gate for his flight, reading one of the stack of books he'd gotten from the institute's recommended reading list.

"Oh, fuck," said a voice. He looked up. 2-C was standing there staring down at him, holding the same book.  



	2. Into the Ninth Circle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things just keep getting worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

 

"Don't tell me you're Loki Jotun," said 2-C.

" _Oh, fuck_  is right," Loki replied. "You're Thor Aesir."

"I am. It seems we've got two solid weeks together. I hope you can mind your manners," Thor said. He even had the nerve to stalk off before Loki had the chance to retort.

Thor was, without a doubt, the most insufferable person Loki had ever met. Which really was saying something; insufferable people tended to be drawn to Loki as though he were an exotic flower. This class was going to be a nightmare. Well. He just had to make it through, and when they got back, Loki could figure out a way to get Thor kicked out of the museum management.

In case the day wasn't bad enough, the first announcement made by the gate agent when she got to the podium was to let everyone know that their flight was delayed due to the weather at their destination. "Our current estimate is a four-hour delay," she said. "We will update again as soon as we have more information."

Loki stood quickly and picked up his things; this flight was on a big plane, and they were in a small terminal, and if he wanted a seat at the bar, he needed to hurry. He tucked his book into an outside pocket of his carry-on bag and slung it over his shoulder, folded his coat neatly over the opposite arm, and found himself at the beginning of the wave that surged away from their boarding area.

Even being at the front of the rush, there were only two seats left at the bar and he slid into one gratefully. The bartender was in the middle of taking his order when the soft crush of fabric said that the last empty seat was being filled. He turned away to dig his book out of his bag which hung off the back of his chair as the bartender turned to the new arrival.

"I'll have the Koelsch," Thor said.

Loki whirled and slammed his book down on the bar. "Is this really necessary?" he snapped. "Right here, out of the whole airport."

Thor shrugged. "It's the only bar in our terminal," he said, and set his own copy of the book in front of him pointedly.

Loki took out a pen.

Thor got out a highlighter.

Loki added another pen, this one red.

Thor rooted around in his bag a moment before digging out one of those four-color click pens.

Loki found a highlighter. It was dead, but Thor didn't know that.

Thor set down a stack of post-it notes.

Loki pulled out a multi-color set of post-it flags.

Thor put on a pair of reading glasses.

Loki yawned and rubbed his eyes. _Some of us don't need those_.

Thor scowled and was just opening his book when the bartender returned.

"Campari and soda, and a Koelsh," she said, setting them down. "One tab, gentlemen?"

"No. We're _not_ together," Loki answered. Perhaps he spoke a little more heatedly than he meant, but the bar was busy and noisy, and if she misheard him, it would just end up making more work for her in the end. Really, his emphasis was an act of courtesy.

" _Douchepill_ ," Thor coughed into his fist.  
  
Loki glared at him. "Oh, very mature," he said.

Thor rolled his eyes. "I'm not the one drinking soda at a bar."

" _Campari_ and-" Loki began.

"Yeah, yeah. Look, I'm trying to read here, all right?"

"As was I. First," Loki grumbled.

They opened their books. Loki glanced over to Thor's to see what page he was on.  
  
It was simply unacceptable. The man had the effrontery to be on the same page as Loki. Loki picked up his pen and made a note.

Thor highlighted a line.

Loki put in a colored flag.

Thor held his page with one finger and flipped to the back, making a note in the index.

By the time the bartender brought their second round - because of _course_ Thor finished his drink the exact moment Loki did - both books were covered in scribbles and multiple colors of neon lines and had note tabs sticking out everywhere.

They spent three hours there, Loki working hard and Thor trying to copy him, before it was time to go back to the gate and check on their flight's status. The new estimated departure time was another two hours off. Loki lingered at the podium, pretending to read a message on his phone, until Thor wandered away, mumbling something about dinner.

Once Thor was safely enmeshed in the food court, Loki got in line at the sit-down Tex-Mex place. It was airport food, as foul as airport food always is, but the relief of sitting by himself made it marginally better. He lingered as long as he could before returning to the boarding area. It was already packed with people, and Loki took a position leaning against the wall, figuring he might as well stand while he had the chance.

At least there were no more delays, and they were soon boarded. They were seated next to each other. Loki had expected as much. He always liked to say that he wasn't a pessimist - he was a realist - but his expectations for this trip were rapidly blurring the distinction between the two.

The flight passed in icy silence, and the ride to the airport in the reserved car was much the same. The weather was still terrible, though the worst of the storm had passed; they drove by downed trees, flooded sewer intakes, utility crews working by spotlight.

Their hotel had power, at least. The clerk was free when they walked inside, and she greeted them with a smile.

"Hello, we have a reservation for two rooms, for Nine Realms Enterprises," Thor said.

The clerk typed something into her computer and they watched a slight frown cross her brow. That was when she said the worst words in the English language.


	3. Painful Realities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Check-in and (attempts at) settling in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

"I'm sorry, this reservation is for one room," said the clerk. They blinked at her. "It's under a Mr. Loki Jotun," she added. Well. That was a bit better, at least.

Thor didn't seem to think so. "Can you check under my name? Thor Aesir?" he asked.

She looked it up. "I'm sorry, there's nothing."

Thor sighed and pulled out his wallet. "I understand. I'll just get one and get reimbursed later."

Her already anxious expression worsened. "We don't have any vacancies, I'm afraid. With this storm, one of the two other hotels in town has lost power, and we and the other hotel took all their guests. There's no available rooms within an hour's drive, I've already called around."

He put his wallet back in his pocket and turned to Loki. "I guess I'm crashing with you," he said.

Loki glared at him. "You can have the sofa."

The clerk looked down at her screen. "This room just has a bed, a desk, and a dresser, it looks like."

Thor grinned maliciously at Loki. "How fun, we get to be bed buddies."

"I'm sorry," Loki said politely. "Could you please check your computer again? I think there's been some mistake. I'm fairly sure this isn't my life."

The clerk smiled at him uncertainly.

"Don't mind him," Thor said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Could we just have the keys, please?"

She quickly programmed the cards and handed them over, obviously relieved to see them go.

"We may as well set some ground rules right now," Thor said as they waited for the elevator.

"We? It's my room," Loki pointed out.

"Not anymore," Thor said, holding up his key. "I trust even you can agree on basic decencies like not hogging the shower."

"No watching porn in my room," Loki said quickly.

"Our room, but agreed. Anything else?"

"Don't hog the blankets."

Thor snorted. "Didn't you bring your cocoon?" he asked.

"I have my pajamas, yes," Loki said coolly. "I trust you do, as well?"

Thor just looked at him.

"Oh, no. _No_ , no, no. You are _not_ sleeping next to me naked."

"I get hot when I sleep," Thor protested.

"Then you can get hot on the floor."

Thor frowned. "I guess I can wear my gym clothes," he said.

"Clean ones," Loki said emphatically.

The ding of the elevator cut Thor off just as he was opening his mouth to reply. They rode up in silence and found their room. Loki threw his bag on the side of the bed he preferred - if he had to share his bed, he was at least sleeping on the left - and unzipped it. Thor was circling around to the other side when a horrible crashing sound came through the wall, right by the headboard.

"What was that?" Thor asked.

"I don't know. Should we go make sure everyone's all right?" Loki asked.

  
They went to knock on their neighbor's door, only to find out that their neighbor had no door.

Their neighbor wasn't a person.

Their neighbor was the ice machine.

  
Loki called the front desk, offering anything the clerk could imagine if she'd move them to a quiet room.

"I'm really sorry," she said. "You were the last guests to check in, other than the people in the bridal suite."

"I'll give you five thousand dollars to switch them with us. It's late, they're probably not even coming. They probably called it off."

Thor grabbed the phone from his hand. "I apologize for my colleague. _Again_ ," he said. "We'll put on some white noise and it will be fine."

"Ten thousand!" Loki yelled towards the receiver.

"She already hung up," Thor said. "I have a white noise generator on my laptop, we'll just leave it running."

"And here I was so looking forward to you carrying me over the threshold," Loki mocked.

"Yes, I'm sure we're going to wind up a _great_ romance," Thor said sarcastically. "Look, do you want the bathroom? I like to shower after I fly."

"No, go ahead. Just don't take forever," Loki said. "I want to go to sleep."

"You don't have to wait up for me."

"I'm not waiting up for _you_. I'm waiting for it to be dark and quiet. Quiet _er_ ," he amended, as the ice machine rattled again.

Thor sang in the shower. His voice was rich and melodious and it made Loki want to hit him.

 

 

 


	4. Breaking the ice... so to speak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The workshop begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

 

How Loki survived the night would be an eternal mystery. Between the rattle of the ice machine and the unfamiliar clock light and the white noise - Loki didn't like it, he preferred pink noise - and Thor right there with his... his... _Thoriness_ , it was a miracle he got a wink of sleep.

Thor went down to the gym and Loki took a shower. He used it much longer than he needed to, trying to delay the inevitable.

"I thought we agreed no hogging," Thor said when Loki opened the door, steam billowing out around him and thick towels wrapped around his hips and his hair.  
  
"You weren't even here," Loki pointed out. "I don't see how it's hogging when I'm the only one here."

Thor scowled. "It just is," he claimed. "Anyway, I'm here now."

Loki dressed while Thor showered. He looked up at the sound of the door and was about to make a witty remark about Thor's shower being perhaps a bit _too_ brief - it wasn't, it was perfectly reasonable, but it seemed like the sort of thing that would irritate him - when Thor stepped out, totally nude.

 _Typical._ It was _just_ like him to be obnoxiously hot. Yes, he had a nice face, and his suits had suggested that the form they covered was well-shaped. To have that confirmed so suddenly, though, and before Loki had even had his morning tea, was something else entirely.

"Put a towel on, can't you?" he muttered, looking quickly back to his book.

"I would, but there don't seem to be any. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" Thor asked, staring at the pile of towels Loki had left on the floor.

Loki slammed his book shut. "Fine. I'll call housekeeping for you. You know, _some_ of us are able to make phone calls while naked."

Thor ignored the jibe. "I'm going to wait in the bathroom. It's warmer." He slammed the door behind him.

The towels were brought quickly and Loki shoved them through the bathroom door, keeping his gaze strictly averted. He read until Thor was dried and dressed, and they went down to breakfast in silence. Loki wasn't quite sure how they'd agreed that they would eat together, but it seemed they were.

Halfway through his waffle, Loki felt eyes on him and stopped mid-bite to look up.

"Do you always eat like that?" asked Thor.

Loki calmly finished chewing and swallowed carefully, following it with a nice sip of water before answering. "Like what?"

"Like that," Thor answered. "Tiny bite, chomp chomp chomp, slurp. I've been watching you since we started eating and that's what you've done for every bite. So I'm curious, do you always eat like that, or are you doing it on purpose to be annoying?"

"I hate you so much," Loki said as he cut another - reasonably sized - bite.

"Trust me, it's mutual," Thor told him, stuffing his face.

"Well, it's more mutual for me," Loki said.

"That doesn't even make sense," Thor replied. "Something is either mutual or it isn't. There aren't degrees of mutuality."

Loki just smiled as he chewed. Delicately, as always.

*****

The institute was next door to the hotel, and they found themselves in the midst of a group of attendees streaming across the parking lot. There was a table just outside the meeting room door with someone passing out packets and nametags. Inside, the front half of the room was filled with small tables with the names of the groups on them.

"Welcome, everyone! I'm Ken, and this is Lisa, and we're so glad to have you all here! The first thing we're going to do today," said the ghastly man at the front of the room, "is a series of icebreakers."

Loki could have wept.

"Each team will find an envelope on their table with a 1 on the front. Look inside and share it with your teammate, but don't let anyone else see it." He paused while everyone did as he asked. Thor and Loki had a card that read only, 'Kangaroo.' "All set, gang? Great! Now what we're going to do is we'll each find a team to pair with, and we have to act out our animal and see if they can guess it! Okay? Let's go!"

It was painful, but Loki kept his mind on the goal. He could do this if it meant there was a museum at the end of this long dark tunnel.

They paired with the team at the table in front of them and moved to the open part of the room. Thor and Loki reluctantly went first. Loki couldn't think what kangaroos did besides hop. Apparently, neither could Thor. They hopped around while the other team shouted out wrong answer after wrong answer. And suddenly, Loki remembered what else they did. He raised his fist...

and suddenly he and Thor were both on the floor, staring at each other and rubbing their faces. _He's a lefty, too,_  Loki thought dazedly, followed by, _ow, my jaw_!

"Kangaroo!" yelled Susan. "They box, right?"

"Yes. They box," Loki sighed.

"Hey, guys! I am so psyched about your enthusiasm! Maybe we can scale it back just a notch, though? we want everyone leaving here in one piece, am I right?" Ken said as he knelt between them.

Loki agreed. It seemed the fastest way to make him leave.

The rest of the hour was wasted with more inane activities, without the satisfaction of punching Thor. When Lisa called them back to their tables for the next section of the day, Loki was relieved. She struck him as a quieter and more reasonable person than Ken, by far. Until she started talking again. 

  



	5. Motivation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a reason why Loki is so determined they do well at the workshop. It's fun knowing things Thor doesn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

"From here on out, we're going to be doing lots of targeted activities with our teammates," Lisa said.

Thor had the audacity to heave a loud sigh, as though Loki wasn’t sitting _right_ there. With his jaw swelling up, at that.

“This morning, we’re going to discuss big-picture planning, and after lunch each team will work on a plan for their particular project. Now, this is something we’re going to return to at the end of our time together, but I’ve found it useful to have at least some idea in mind before we spend the next couple of weeks doing more detailed planning.”

Ken dimmed the lights as Lisa started up a PowerPoint. Loki settled back in his chair. It was going to be a long morning.

*****

Lunch was nearly as much of a blur as the morning had been. But it was all better than the afternoon, when Ken passed out stacks of handouts and asked them to do their plans.

“I’ll do this,” Loki said, reaching confidently for the stack of papers.  
  
“Actually, this is the sort of thing I’m really good at,” Thor said.

Loki looked at him despairingly. “No offense or anything, but I think I’m going to do a better job with big picture stuff than an accountant.”  
  
Thor sat back in his chair, pinching the bridge of his nose. “For the tenth time, I’m a financial planner.”

“Yes.”

“That’s different from an accountant.”

“No.”

" _Yes_."

Loki smiled at him. “Okay. If that’s what you like to think.”

“There’s nothing wrong with being an accountant! But that’s not what I do, I-“

“We really should get started on our work, Thor,” Loki interrupted smoothly. This sounded like the sort of thing that could go on all day unless someone – Loki, as always – behaved like an adult. “I think the first thing to do is to determine the exact scope of what will be kept in the museum.”

“Well, I think we need to determine our target audience first,” Thor said.

“No, since we already know the focus of the museum, we should determine how strictly we want to hold to that. Our audience will be based on what the museum has to offer, so that’s where we need to start.”

“And if the museum can’t support itself, it won’t last. We need to think about who _might_ come, and then figure out what to use to bring them in.”

*****

It was dumbfounding, even with Loki’s already low expectations, how Thor could listen to reason for hours and not actually _hear_ any of it.

"Okay, gang, we’ve got about five minutes left, let’s make it count!" said Ken, smiling far too excitedly.

Loki looked at Thor. "I can't believe you're really so childish that you'd rather see us lose than admit that I'm right. No- no, wait. I _can_ believe it."

“What do you mean, lose? This isn’t a competition.”

Loki smirked. “Oh, no one told you? The team that has the most promise at the end of the workshop gets a start-up grant.”

“They do? How much?”

“Seventy thousand.”

Thor nodded thoughtfully. “I can make that go a long way,” he said.

 _Accountant_ , thought Loki.

Ken went around the room, asking each team to give a brief synopsis of what they’d come up with.

“We’re going to do an analysis of what focus we think our museum should have,” Loki said quickly.

“And also do some research into who we expect to visit,” Thor added.

Ken beamed at them. “It’s still pretty general, but I think that’s the best plan we’ve heard yet!” he said.

Lisa looked amused.

Loki would have to watch her.

*****

At dinner, they reluctantly agreed to take turns, alternating days in which they would be the one in charge of the ideas. They wouldn’t be able to bullshit their way through more specific plans the way that had with this one, and they at least agreed that they wanted that money.

The following days matched the same pattern: presentations and discussions in the morning, followed by the teams working individually in the afternoons, getting feedback each day.

“That’s some really wonderful thinking,” Lisa said to Loki’s ideas the second.

“I’m so impressed by you two,” Ken said on the third.

It was all quite annoying, being treated as though they were both equally good at this.

And then things got even worse.

The fourth morning, Loki woke to find himself in Thor's embrace.

  
It.  
Was.  
 _Mortifying._

  
He moved as carefully as he could, easing the heavy arm up and away from where it lay draped over his torso. It made sense enough, of course; he always got cold when he slept, and Thor's warmth must have proved irresistible to his sleeping self.

His waking self, though, needed to get the hell out of Dodge before Thor woke up.

*****  
The second Thor left for the gym, Loki checked the thermostat.

Thor had turned the room temperature down by _four_ degrees. No wonder Loki had moved closer in bed, if the room was that cold.

Well. Two could play that game.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to take this opportunity to formally apologize to all people who do museum studies, accounting, or financial planning, for my utter butchery of your fields.


	6. A Detente, and the Breaking Thereof

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Surviving the workshop. Somehow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

“Oh, sweet _Jesus_ ,” Thor gasped as he opened their door and was hit by a wall of heat. Loki had casually ticked the temperature up as they were leaving that morning, and the heat had been running almost nonstop for nine hours now. “What the fuck did you do?”

“You turned it down too far,” Loki said. “I was just trying to balance it out.”

“ _I_ just made it a little more reasonable. _You_ are trying to cook us. I bet you could fry an egg on the desk right now. No, actually, you couldn't,” he said, rubbing his finger across it, “because the varnish is melting.”

Loki shrugged. “You were trying to kill me,” he said casually.

“I was _trying_ to accommodate your immature need to have me overdressed while I sleep.”

“Just because I don’t want you flailing your _parts_ around in the middle of my bed-“

“ _Our_ bed! Ours! We’re _sharing_ the room!” Thor yelled, waving his key.

“ _My_ room,” Loki said, picking up the reservation sheet – with his name, alone, on top - from the desk to show Thor. He tried not to wince when it stuck to the varnish and the bottom half tore off. Perhaps he had overdone it just a tad. There were principles behind it, though. He mustn’t forget that, or he’d wind up just as bad as Thor.

“I’m going to the gym,” Thor said, beginning to undress. “Try to have it aired out a little by the time I get back, would you?”

“You went to the gym this morning,” Loki said.

“I like it there,” Thor growled.

*****

They somehow reached a détente for the rest of their time at the workshop. Alternating days did seem to be working well, though Loki grew continually more irritated with Ken and Lisa’s apparent inability to recognize the superiority of his ideas. They found a compromise temperature for the room, as well, and as long as Loki ate something for breakfast that wasn’t too crunchy, Thor kept his mouth shut about his eating habits.

Loki woke in Thor's arms twice more. Each time he woke up gradually, feeling snug in a cocoon of cozy warmth and the pleasant fuzziness of lingering dreams. He floated slowly into consciousness only to realize that he had his face buried in Thor's chest, warming his always-frozen nose and horrifying the rest of him. Fortunately, Thor was a heavy sleeper and never woke when Loki moved away, back into the cold side of the bed.

His heavy sleeping was especially fortunate the third time it happened, when Loki woke with an erection.

Those happen in the morning sometimes, he reminded himself sternly.

*****

The last day they got up early to pack and check out before heading over to the workshop, ready to fly home that night. In the morning, they repeated the ‘big picture’ planning from the first day, Thor arguing even though it was Loki’s day to be in charge. In the afternoon, Ken gave out certificates. He had a ‘Best…’ certificate for everyone there.

“This is why America is failing,” Loki muttered as Ron got a certificate for 'Best Can-Do Attitude!!!'

Thor snorted the first half of a laugh before straightening his face and whispering that Ron really had done his best.  
  
"He almost burned down the building," Loki hissed back.

"It was an accident!"

"He did it _three_ times!"

"Shh!"

Loki glanced up casually to find Lisa watching them, looking amused. She'd been doing that quite a lot. He didn't trust it.

Thor got a certificate for 'Best Accounting!'

"See?" Loki whispered.

" _I'm not a_ -"

"Shh!"

Loki's certificate was for 'Best at Finding Problems!' Ken gave it to him with a slightly pained look on his face.

*****

About half the participants were leaving right after the workshop ended, and they had arranged a couple of vans to take them all to the airport. Loki waited until they were nearly full, to make sure he wasn't riding in the one with Ron. It seemed the best way to make it home alive. It meant, however, that he found himself crammed in between Thor and Susan, who was _still_ making jokes about boxing kangaroos.

"Half an hour, and it's over forever," he reminded himself as she laughed riotously at the same gag she'd told at least twice before. The relief brought by that was extremely limited, mainly because Thor's warm side was pressed against him, an obnoxiously comfortable reminder that there was more to be dealt with when he got home.

Well, he had three nights of blessedly uninterrupted sleep ahead of him. No ice machine, no stupid white noise, no _Thor_. Once he was better rested, he'd be ready to take that on. He'd survived the past two weeks. Getting a replacement for Thor at the museum should be no problem.

*****

Make that _two_ nights of blessedly uninterrupted sleep, Loki thought as he heard his door rattling late Saturday night. He sighed and got out of bed. He was halfway through the living room when he spotted a spray bottle on the end table. Megumi must have left it there on her way out from tending his plants while he was away.

The look on Thor's face when Loki flung the door open and shot a long stream of cold water right between his eyes was worth being woken up, he decided.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this wasn't what a lot of people were hoping for while they were sharing the hotel room - some writers are great at the whole hatesex turning into mushy times thing, but I just don't think I'm one of them. I do hope you'll enjoy what I came up with instead. I'm anticipating 3 more chapters, most likely with daily updates until it's done.


	7. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki overhears a conversation and comes to realize he'd been very wrong about some things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

  
  
Frigga stopped by Loki's cubicle not long after he arrived, asking how he liked the workshop and if he'd had a good trip. He lied politely, saying that both were excellent - well, the workshop, at least, was educational once they got past the icebreakers - and that the travelling had been agreeable as well, other than the flight delay.

"How did you like the coordinators?" she asked.

"They were-" he began.

"I've known Lisa since college," she added.

"-really great," he finished.

She said she'd talked to Lisa over the weekend, and that she had had nothing but good things to say about the team from Nine Realms. Frigga had the oddest smile on her face as she talked. She probably just needed more coffee, he figured, dismissing it. Mondays were rough for everyone.

At twelve o'clock on the dot, Loki went to the break room. He set his lunch out carefully, fork to the left of his plate and knife to the right, water glass just past the knife. He unwrapped his sandwich and put it on his plate, setting his apple at precisely 1:30 next to it. He was just in the middle of straightening his fork when he heard whispering and looked around. Frigga and Laufey were in the other section of tables, divided by a row of potted plants placed there in a failed attempt at giving the room a sense of intimacy. They were leaning close towards one another and whispering rapidly, their faces lit up with smiles.

 _Well_.

When he had come to work today, the last thing he expected was to uncover an affair between his coworkers. He wasn't the sort to act on it, though. Others might gossip and spread rumors and suppositions, but Loki respected other people's privacy. He turned back to his lunch and ate it with his usual tidiness.

Frigga made her rounds that afternoon, greeting everyone and making sure work was going well. Loki normally ignored her conversations with the people around him - working in cubicles, one learned to do that - when suddenly his attention was caught by hearing his name. He paused in his typing to hear better, shuffling intently through a stack of papers to explain the sudden silence, were anyone to look.

"...of course Loki is far too arrogant to ever consider it. Lisa said that every time he turned away, Thor would just stare at him with this hopeless longing. And now Laufey says Thor can't even work, he just sits at his desk staring out the window and sighing. But he'll just have to get over it somehow."

"He has to say something," said Craig, who tended to say everything. "He has to tell Loki how he feels."

Frigga sighed. "He told Laufey that there's no hope, that he pretended to meet hate for hate to hide his true feelings, and if he were to speak them now he'd be given nothing but mockery."

"That is _so_ sad," Craig said.

"It is. But that's Loki for you. He can be very cold," she agreed sadly. "But now," she continued, louder and more cheerfully, "any problems today? Any questions I can help with?"

"No, I'm doing fine," he said.

And with that, she was turning towards Loki, who shuffled his papers faster, making sure he looked busy. They talked for a few minutes. Loki _just_ managed to keep his mind on work until she moved on to the next person.

 _Thor_. In love with _him_. It was utterly absurd. Though... Frigga had been told as much by more than one person. Could Thor's unpleasantness really have been the lashings of an aching heart? That would explain quite a lot... but no. They had to be mistaken. The whole notion was ridiculous.  
  
He looked in the mirror that he kept at his desk. It was true, he was quite handsome. Thor might need reading glasses, but he had no problems seeing things further than an arm's reach away. Seeing people who were so close, yet so impossibly far, like someone who he seemed to think hated him... and Thor did appreciate beauty, that was clear from his discretely luxurious scarves, his well-tailored suits, his cufflinks that spoke of quietly exquisite tastes. Yes, Thor knew beauty when he saw it, and he'd just spent two weeks sharing a room with it.

Furthermore, Loki had to admit, Thor was far from stupid. Those days he was in charge at the workshop, he came up with some really brilliant ideas. Loki's own intelligence would easily be every bit as appealing as his face. Perhaps more. It would certainly be a powerful combination for one with the discernment to properly appreciate it.

He would simply have to watch Thor. Surely the man's face would give it away, once Loki knew what to look for.

His chance came at lunch the next day. Thor was sitting at one of the tables along the back wall. Loki casually sat down in the middle of the room, settling into a chair that was facing Thor but not _too_ directly. The whole time he was setting his lunch out, he could feel the weight of Thor's gaze on him. It was heavy and even, like the lead blankets at the dentist's office (not that Loki had any cavities, of course; he liked taking good care of his teeth, but he'd had a set of x-rays done a few years ago just to check), and he wondered how he could have been so unobservant, to never have noticed it before. It simply wasn't like him to be so obtuse.

He didn't look up until he was raising his sandwich to his mouth. He caught a flash of dazzling blue before Thor looked away. Had his eyes always been so blue? It must have been the fluorescent lights at the conference center dulling them, for him to have never noticed before. They really were beautiful. And they had been fixed on Loki every possible moment for weeks, while Loki had cruelly sneered into them.

He remembered waking up in Thor's arms. Perhaps when he had turned up the air conditioner, it was not for his own comfort but from a hope to lure Loki into his warm arms? Or maybe it wasn't simply that Loki had drawn been to his warmth, as he had assumed; what if Thor had been the one to move, to reach out and embrace him in his sleep, the fragile outreach of a hopeless heart? Loki had a kind and tender heart himself, and he ached to think that he may have put someone of such reason and discernment through such pain.

When had he fallen for Loki? He thought back to their first night at the hotel. _I'm sure we're going to wind up a great romance_ , Thor had said. Had he been speaking from his heart, that night? Were Loki's mocking words about wanting Thor to carry him over the threshold a dagger through the poor man's heart? Or... had Loki himself, unwittingly, stirred the beginnings of love?

Whatever had started it... it _was_ flattering, he had to admit. Thor was markedly handsome himself, he certainly would have his choice of suitors. And despite that, he'd fallen for Loki. He'd found Loki irresistible even with how horrible he'd been. It did make a lot of sense, when he thought about it.


	8. Falling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor is smart, charming, and gorgeous. In other words, he's the perfect match for Loki.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

Loki set his alarm a little early the next morning, giving himself extra time to get his hair just how he liked it and choose his clothes with extra care. He was torn between the dark gray shirt that brought out his eyes and the rich green one that was cut just _perfectly_ for him. He finally settled on the gray; if Thor accepted his invitation to eat lunch together, Thor would see his face more than his torso.

Thor was just backing out of his parking place when Loki left their building. Thor nodded a neutral greeting as he turned towards the driveway. His eyes widened when Loki gave him a friendly smile in reply. The car was pointed away before Loki could see any further reaction, but he watched the car come to a stop at the end of the drive, and Thor gave a wave in the rearview mirror. _He'll accept_ , Loki thought confidently as he unlocked his door.

As it turned out, though, when Loki checked his email, Thor had already written him.

_Hi Loki,_

_Perhaps we could meet to discuss how to divide up the research for museum planning. Are you free at lunch today?_

  
_Best,_   
_Thor_

Loki took a moment to consider his phrasing before typing a reply. It must have taken Thor a great deal of courage to send the message, and Loki wanted to make sure to meet it with even more warmth and kindness than was usual to his nature. Was _dear_ too forward? He thought a moment and decided it wasn't.

_Dear Thor,_

_I would be most happy to join you for lunch today. Noon in the staff lounge?_

  
_All my best,_   
_Loki_

He glanced over it once and hit send.

Thor's reply came only seconds later. The poor man must have been sitting there, refreshing constantly since he had sent the invitation.

_Noon in the staff lounge is perfect_

Loki smiled and got to work.

He left his desk a few minutes earlier than usual, stopping in the restroom to splash some cold water on his face. He hated doing it, but he knew the brightness it gave to his complexion.

He got to the break room before Thor, and set out his lunch with his usual care. He was just positioning his water glass when Thor arrived, carrying a worn blue bag with his own meal.

"Hi," Thor said, sliding into the chair across from him.

Loki gave him a friendly smile. "Hello," he said. His eyes fell to Thor's hands as he opened his lunch bag and pulled out his food. He watched Thor's hands. They were large and strong, with long, thick fingers. These were hands that could build, and support, and caress... Loki blinked the thought away. This was a _lunch_ meeting, after all. Thor's lunch was a sandwich, one much thicker than Loki's, a banana, and a box of apple juice. That last gave Loki a flush of tenderness in his chest, to see this powerful man still preferring a childhood drink.  
  
"So," said Thor.

"So," said Loki.

"I thought maybe we'd start planning how to split up the research that we talked about."

"Yeah. How about I do the stuff I suggested and you do what you suggested?"

Thor nodded. "That makes sense."

Loki took a bite of his sandwich. He ate it carefully, and took another bite without a sip of water. This had to be so difficult for Thor; if breaking his preferred eating pattern could help make him more comfortable, Loki would do it.

"What do you think about the environment?" Thor asked abruptly.

Loki blinked at him. "The environment? What about it?"

"Well, the air, mostly."

"What do I think of the air?" Loki asked. Thor nodded. "Well, it's... it's good to breathe it," he said.  
  
Thor nodded again. "That's what I think too."

Loki paused, expecting more to be forthcoming, but Thor seemed done with the topic. "Why did you ask me about the air?"  
  
Thor shrugged. "I just thought, since we're neighbors, and we work together, you know."

"I do?"

"Well, it doesn't make sense for both of us to drive. Messes up the air."

"Are you asking me to carpool?"

"Well, you know. For the environment."

Loki met his eyes with an encouraging smile. "I think that's a great idea. Really," he said kindly.

*****

They met at the front door the next morning, Thor offering to drive the first day. Loki accepted with thanks. Thor opened the car door for him and stood back, holding it for Loki to get in.

"Thank you," Loki said with a smile. "Oh, you've got - here, I'll get it," he said, picking at imaginary lint on Thor's shoulder.

Thor smiled back. "Thanks," he said.

They were quiet on the drive, but the silence was pleasant and easy. Now that Loki knew, there need be no more tension between them. He just needed to think of the best way to convey to Thor that his feelings were returned.

Thor smelled delicious; Loki was amazed he had never noticed it before. His cologne was a mix of lime and lavender and musk and... sugar cookies, Loki thought. It was sweet, for a man's cologne, but Thor pulled it off. He watched Thor from the corner of his eye. The car didn't have power steering, and his arms bulged deliciously when he had to make tight turns. By the end of the trip, it was all Loki could do not to lean over and lick right around that perfect wrist. And then maybe up, one long stripe up Thor's arm that didn't stop until Loki reached his chest... this would really be much easier if he didn't know exactly what Thor looked like, under his well-tailored suit. Thor did have good taste in tailors. 

*****

Thor was nearly done with his food when Loki got to lunch. "Hi," he said, slipping into the free chair across from him.

Thor's smile was radiant. "Hi," he said. "I have a meeting soon, I had to start early."

"It's okay," Loki said. "I'll see you tonight."

Thor's smile grew even wider. "Yeah," he said, packing up his bag. "See you tonight."

*****

The week passed, Loki's eyes on Thor as he drove, feeling Thor's eyes on him when it was his turn. When they met at Thor's car at the end of the day on Friday, Loki was holding a folder full of data he'd collected.

"Hi," he said. "Look, I know it's a Friday, so I understand if you're busy, but I got a lot done this week, and if you're free, I thought maybe we could have dinner and talk about it?"

"That sounds great," Thor said. "There's a new diner on Sixth that's supposed to be really good."

Loki had seen that review, too. _Really good for first dates,_ it had said.

"Perfect," Loki said.

Parking downtown was terrible. Loki didn't mind. It just meant more time to drive around, pretending to look for a spot while actually looking at Thor's arms fighting his heavy car into the turns. They finally found a place to park, and got to the diner just as a corner booth opened up.

They sat right in the corner of it, their knees casually bumping.

Loki spread his papers out across the table after they ordered. Thor's hair, usually so controlled, was starting to come loose, and it fell into his face as he leaned over to skim the printouts. He shoved at it roughly, but one stray lock just wouldn't stay in place.

"Here, let me," Loki murmured, tucking it gently behind Thor's ear.

Thor flushed. "Thanks," he said.

Thor had quite a few wonderful ideas - it was a real delight to have a work partner with such a quick and adaptable mind, for once, on  top of the fact that he would look gorgeous sprawled naked on Loki's forest green sheets - and the time spent waiting for their order passed in lively and rewarding conversation.

They tidied up when the food came, digging happily into their meals. Loki had eyed their neighbor's patty melt with longing, but decided against anything oniony. They wound up with matching cheeseburgers. Loki had a strawberry shake, and Thor's was chocolate. Thor didn't use his straw, and he ended licking his lips _quite_ a lot. Loki's knees felt a little wobbly from watching, even sitting down. Thor finished first and leaned back with a contented sigh.

"You've got an eyelash - here, let me," Thor said, brushing his finger across Loki's cheek.

It was all Loki could do to keep from gasping audibly at the feel of Thor's skin against his own. "Don't I get to make a wish?" he asked in a slightly shaky voice.

"Oh. I dropped it," Thor said.

Loki finished his shake, sucking hard at the straw and looking into Thor's eyes. _This is what I'm going to do to you,_  he said with his stare.

Not that night, though, it turned out. Loki had rather expected Thor to stop at Loki's door and kiss him, or perhaps wait for an invitation inside. He certainly would have gotten it if he'd given Loki the chance to talk first. But he simply said, "Well, goodnight," and shoved his hands in his pockets as he continued down the hallway. Loki watched him. He hated to see him go, but he did enjoy watching it.

Loki unlocked his door slowly, so that when he glanced to his right, he saw Thor unlocking his own. Their eyes met, and they both blushed as they smiled at each other.

*****

Loki didn't see Thor all day Saturday. He'd knocked, once, in the early afternoon, but Thor hadn't answered. He stayed up late, hoping, and finally went to bed feeling terribly discouraged. His head had barely hit the pillow, though, when he heard the tell-tale rattle of his door. He shook his head fondly and laughed as he went to open it. Thor did have the most charming foibles.

Thor was waiting outside. He didn't look drunk at all, this time. "Hi," he said.

"Hi," Loki said.

They regarded each other silently before Loki decided that Thor had already done enough; even for all their flirting, it still took some guts to show up like this. So Loki stepped into the hall, stopping mere inches from Thor.

And _then... oh_ , didn't Thor kiss him. It was the sort of kiss that made lightbulbs explode. The sort of kiss that made Loki glad they didn't have cameras in the hallway or they'd be evicted.

When they finally broke apart, both panting softly, Thor scooped him up and swung him through his doorway. "Are you carrying me across the threshold?" Loki asked, laughing.

"Hey, I promised you a great romance," Thor said.


	9. Dorks In Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

Loki twisted in Thor's arms, wrapping his legs around Thor's waist. Every inch of him was _solid_ , pure sculpted muscle. Thor closed the door behind them and pressed Loki against it, kissing him again. His lips burned, making searing demands that Loki met with equal greed. He was wearing that cologne again, the one that smelled like confusingly sexy sugar cookies, and Loki wanted to eat him alive. Thor nibbled on his lower lip, sucking it into swollen plumpness, before kissing his way along Loki's jaw, biting at his earlobe before reaching the pulse that thudded in Loki's throat. He licked and nipped and kissed until Loki was moaning, and then started kissing his way back up.

Thor moved Loki's weight onto one arm, bringing the other hand between them and tightening his fingers around Loki's cock where it strained against his layers of sweats.

"I want this," Thor breathed into his ear.

"I know," Loki gasped.

"Where's your bedroom?" Thor asked, stroking Loki through the soft cloth.

"Same place yours is next door. They didn't get too creative with this building."

Loki made a soft sound of protest as Thor took his hand away to wrap it around his back, but he had no complaints when Thor hoisted him higher, pressing his cock against Thor's firm stomach. For all his slenderness, his height meant he was no small weight, and it had been a long time since someone had been able to hold him like this. He realized suddenly how much he missed it as he took in the feel of Thor's body shifting with each step as he carried Loki down the dark hallway to his room. He buried his face in Thor's throat, nuzzling and licking.

Thor tasted almost exactly the way he smelled, like sweetness and lavender. It was strangely erotic, and Loki tightened his thighs in order to rise up higher and grind himself against Thor, leaning down to lick further back.

Loki's blankets were shoved to the side from when he had jumped up - was that only minutes ago? it felt like a different lifetime - and Thor sat on the side, leaning back slightly to let Loki straddle his broad thighs. His hands slid inside Loki's shirts, fingers exploring his smooth stomach and curling around his sides, taking in the long lean muscles that wrapped around. Loki ran his hands quickly down Thor's shirt, undoing the long row of buttons. He wondered, dimly, if Thor had worn a button-down for the joy of watching a lust-drunk Loki have to fight with it, but then it was open, falling back on Thor's shoulders, and he forgot how to think.

They had a brief struggle as each tried to remove the other's shirt before his own, with a scramble of burning hands and awkward elbows and laughter, and then suddenly they were skin to skin, mouths clashing desperately.

"Wait, Loki- do you have any- I forgot-" Thor said.

"Mmm-hmm," Loki answered, waving vaguely at his nightstand. Loki's parents had urged him to join the Boy Scouts, for some bizarre reason seeming to think he needed socialization. While he had steadfastly refused to join such a pedantic and inflexible organization, he did like the little flyer about being prepared, and had taken that much to heart. His nightstand was a treasure trove of condom choices and little lube packets, all alphabetically arranged in tidy rows. Yes, he had plenty.

Thor's large hands seemed to cover half of Loki's chest at once, fingers slotting into the spaces between his ribs, thumbs circling and flicking at his nipples. "These are nice," Thor said.

"Mmm," Loki agreed, leaning forward to lick a broad stripe from Thor's shoulder straight down his arm and back up to his neck. "Your arms are the most incredible things I've ever seen," he said, wrapping his lips around a tender earlobe. He closed his eyes to suck at it blissfully, only to have it tugged away as Thor nodded in agreement. If Thor had any flaw, Loki reluctantly conceded to himself, it might be a tendency towards vanity. As a modest man himself, Loki tended to find vanity annoying in others, but he supposed Thor did have some justification for it. He could adjust.

He pushed Thor onto his back and hovered over him, tongue and lips going _everywhere_ until Thor was tossing his head helplessly and making delicious wordless little sounds. Loki stood and began to open Thor's jeans, and Thor suddenly started laughing. "Are you sure you don't mind me flailing my parts around in your bed?" he asked.

"Oh, Thor," Loki said reproachfully. "I can't believe you'd bring that up."

"Sorry," Thor said, though he didn't look it. Loki decided to let it slide, and he stepped back to pull the soft denim down and away. Thor's boxers were a rich red silk and there was a patch in the front darkened with wetness. Loki bent down impulsively and licked it, savoring the heat of Thor's cock through the thin fabric, the bitter salt that leaked from him, the harsh cry he made at the feel of Loki's tongue.

Loki pulled off his own sweatpants, the softer green underlayer and the heavier black outer pair coming away as one. Thor sat up and leaned close to pull Loki's boxers away, dropping his head instantly to run his tongue over Loki's aching cock. Loki's head fell back, his eyes falling shut and his chest heaving as Thor made every nerve come alive, so greedy to explore and taste and feel...

Loki shrieked and jerked away as Thor pressed the tip of his tongue to the slit. "Don't stab it!" he gasped. "Just lick gently."

"I thought I _was_ just licking gently," Thor said, sounding more than a little horrified.

"It's sensitive," Loki explained.

"They do tend to be," Thor agreed. "But I think you're extra sensitive. I'm going to enjoy that."

"Come on," Loki said, getting back into bed and moving over to make room for Thor to stretch out. The sheets were horrifically cold, but Thor joined him quickly, enveloping Loki in warmth. Loki shoved at Thor's boxers, the only thing remaining between them, and Thor wiggled quickly out of them. They lay on their sides, kisses interspersed with gasps and moans as they moved together, savoring the feel of skin against skin.

Time disappeared. It could have been seconds or years before Thor whispered to him. "Please, Loki."

Loki nodded and rose up silently over him, a gentle hand easing Thor's legs apart so he could kneel between them. He opened his drawer and reached in, grabbing the lube (fourth row, sixth packet) and condom (first row, third envelope) that he wanted.

His eyes darkened as he curled his hands around the backs of Thor's thighs and pressed them gently upwards. Thor caught them behind the knees and held them up and open, his own eyes glistening as they followed Loki's every movement. Loki slicked his fingers and pressed the tip of one to Thor's entrance. The taut muscle fluttered against him. He looked up at Thor, who nodded permission. He pressed gently, and after a few seconds it gave way and he watched his finger disappear. It was _so_ intimate to see Thor's body welcome him, and Loki swallowed hard at the sight.

It was heady, dizzying, to be so engulfed, the muscles that had fluttered _against_ him now moving _around_ him. His finger was surrounded with delicate trembling, and he moved gently, forward and back, twisting and curling, soothing them into relaxation. When Thor's body no longer fought him, he added a second, and then a third. At that, Thor's back arched and Loki could see his mouth working, murmuring word after word of want and love and pleasure that he never quite managed to finish.

Thor was writhing, hands knotted in the pillows, by the time Loki added a fourth finger. It was a tight stretch, even with the slenderness of his pinky, but Thor seemed to like it, his massive body shifting boneless and desperate with every tiny movement Loki made. And then he said it again. "Please, Loki."

Loki nodded and reached under the pillow to retrieve the condom. Thor took it from him. "May I?" he asked. Loki nodded again.

Thor shifted around, tugging at Loki until he was looming up over him before tearing open the foil and rolling the thin latex carefully down his shaft. He settled over Loki, pressing their foreheads together, one hand on the pillow holding him just enough to not force Loki to bear his weight. The other reached behind him to hold Loki's cock still as he slowly lowered himself. Their faces were so close that Loki couldn't tell which one of them gasped the moment his cock touched Thor's entrance. He couldn't tell who moaned as it pressed in, the tight ring resisting until suddenly it gave and the head slid smoothly in.

Thor held still a moment, his eyes squeezed tightly shut and his breath ragged as he adjusted, before he continued to lower himself. It was the tiniest movement, each time, perhaps half an inch at most, and it was all Loki could do to force himself to stillness, letting Thor do as he needed. Thor's kisses were burning, searing against every bit of Loki's face as he panted and sobbed his way to fullness.

By the time Thor had taken him fully, Loki was shaking with the effort of self-restraint. Thor's next kiss was on his lips, all demand and greed and fire. " _Fuck_ , Loki, you feel..." he said. Loki considered objecting to his language before deciding that their current position suggested that he was something other than polite company. And Thor's next words made him not care, anyway. "I'm okay, you can move now," he said at last.

Loki thrust upwards, pressing them harder together with all the force of his desire set suddenly free. Thor settled onto his elbows, fisting his hands in Loki's hair as he kissed him desperately, moaning into Loki's open mouth each time their bodies drove together. Loki's fingers dug into Thor's solid ass, pulling him down to meet each thrust, feeling the quivering tension build and shake through him. Right when he felt like he might shatter beneath Loki's hands, he sat up suddenly, leaning back and shifting slowly. His face was intent, brows tight in concentration, and then Loki found what he'd been looking for. Thor's cries were harsh and ragged as Loki tried desperately to keep the same angle as Thor shouted and thrashed above him. 

The second Loki touched his cock, he came, long, guttural moans matching the hot bolts of cum that splattered across Loki's stomach. Loki let go of his control, following Thor over the edge as he came, his vision going blinding white with the intensity of it. He was only vaguely aware of Thor above him, or of the feel of Thor around him. Loki's name on Thor's lips, though, followed him as he soared and shattered, and finally collapsed.

Thor had come to stillness, still holding Loki within, watching him drunkenly as Loki slowly came back to himself. He gave Loki a bleary smile before rising carefully up, holding onto the base of the condom. His sound of loss when he slid free was quite possibly the most endearing thing Loki had ever heard, and he realized suddenly, desperately, how much he wanted to pass his life hearing it, over and over.

He sat up and tossed the condom into the trash before collapsing onto his side, facing Thor. Thor's eyes were warm and affectionate as he ran his hand lightly up and down Loki's rib cage. Loki didn't feel quite so much like moving at first, and he simply lay still, watching Thor's face.

Neither one felt like talking at first, content to bask in the shared glow. It finally dimmed, though, and Loki propped himself up on one elbow, looking down happily at Thor. "Tell me when you fell for me," he said playfully, twisting a shining blond lock between his fingers.

Thor looked suddenly embarrassed. "I kind of hate to admit this," he said sheepishly. "It was the first day back at work. I overheard Laufey talking to his assistant about you, saying that you'd fallen for me but that I was too cold to ever consider it. So I started watching you, and I realized that you were watching me too. It just made me rethink things. How stupid I'd been, mostly. I mean, you're really smart, _and_ hot, and we do make a really good team... It made me realize that you're everything I want, and I'd be an idiot if I messed that up."

Loki's eyes had been growing slowly wider as Thor spoke. When he finished, Loki groaned and fell back on the pillow. "They Don Pedro'd us," he said numbly.  
  
"They whated us?" Thor asked.

Loki met his eyes. "From _Much Ado About Nothing_. They both said stuff for us to overhear, about the other one being in love." He groaned again. "It's my favorite play. I can't believe I fell for that."

"I fell for it too," Thor pointed out.

"Well, yeah," Loki said.

"I suppose we should be grateful," Thor said grudgingly.

Loki shrugged. "Yeah, I guess," he said. "I _am_ glad that we got to this." He curled tighter against Thor and was beginning to drift off when a thought struck him. 

"No, don't," Thor pleaded as Loki slipped from between the sheets.

"I'll be right back," Loki said. "I'll freeze if I don't put something on before we go to sleep."

"Please stay," Thor said, catching his hand gently. "I'll keep you warm."  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading and for all of your kind feedback, everyone! I'm so glad you liked my silly little story.


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